


Holiday Blues

by youmeandthehurricane



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-22
Updated: 2016-08-09
Packaged: 2018-07-16 13:58:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7271092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youmeandthehurricane/pseuds/youmeandthehurricane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alex and Kara are sent on a scouting mission to locate a Fort Rozz prisoner in a small town three hours away from National City. Imagine their surprise when a familiar face knocks on their motel door!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back, did you miss me? So I met Peter Facinelli (Max Lord) last week and he was wonderful (HE SHIPS MAX AND ALEX!). After listening to him talk about the character, I had to rewatch Supergirl season one and that led me back to writing. It's good to be back. Enjoy!

It was a dreary day in National City. Rain pounded the windows of the Danvers’ apartment and thunder rolled across the dark sky. Every so often a bolt of lightning would illuminate the shadows and cause the power to flicker. Alex hadn’t seen a storm like this in years.

‘I hope it’s not like this in Midtown,’ Kara said absently. Alex silently agreed.

She and her sister were curled up on the couch watching the news. The news anchor, an unimportant looking man in a suit, was just wrapping up a story on the new fire department facility. For the first time in what felt like forever, National City was quiet. Alex wished she could say the same thing about her brain. She barely registered the female voice decreeing National City to a week of rain. She was too busy mentally checking off her packing list, running through the intel that she’d memorised and going over the directions to Midtown.

Tomorrow morning, Alex and Kara were leaving for the small town three hours south of National City on a reconnaissance mission for the DEO. Hank had received reports recently that suggested an alien presence in Midtown, possibly and probably another Fort Rozz escapee. Alex and Kara were going to scope out the place and see if they could dig up anything that might lead them to their target.

Alex was almost relieved that an alien had showed up. She wasn’t used to the calm that had descended since they’d defeated Non and his army. They’d been through so much over the past few months that she’d forgotten what it was like before aliens arrived on Earth. Truth be told, she thought it was thoroughly boring. Danger was part of her job description, adrenaline kept her alive. Without it, she wondered what her purpose was at the DEO. Glorified personal trainer? She’d given all of the agents a good beating in their training bouts. Even Kara didn’t want to train with her anymore. Then Hank had given them the mission and her brain had kicked into gear and now it wouldn’t stop.

She didn’t sleep that night, but she still insisted on driving the full three hours despite Kara’s offers to take the wheel. Driving forced her to concentrate. Kara was treating the drive like a road trip. She had the window down, a bag of popcorn in her hand and she was singing and dancing along to the radio. Alex couldn’t help but be amused.

‘You do know we’re going to hunt an alien, right?’ Alex asked her about halfway into the drive.

‘Yeah,’ Kara replied through a mouthful of popcorn, ‘so what?’

‘You could look like you’re having a little less fun.’

‘Come on Alex, we’re an hour away from Midtown and the sun is out! No more rain for a week!’

Alex couldn’t deny Kara’s enthusiasm at the lack of rain. Their job would be much easier now that they wouldn’t have to wield umbrellas everywhere they went.

An hour passed, the highway branched off and they rolled into Midtown. It was a small town, home to only about seven thousand residents, but bustling nonetheless. The main street boasted a diverse shopping experience, filled with local produce. Sports fields covered in children decked out in the colours of their school dotted the town whilst buses ferried them to and from the schools in question. Big houses lined the streets in the residential areas, porches standing guard over highly manicured lawns. It was as different from the city as it could possibly be, but to Kara it felt welcoming.

Alex followed the main road for two more blocks and then pulled into the motel that they would be staying in for the next week. It was supposed to be the best accommodation in town, but she hadn’t had high expectations. She was pleasantly surprised when it boasted a lobby for check ins rather than just a booth with a window. There was even a fountain in the middle of the room. Their little apartment, number three, was equally nice. A comfortable lounge room that looked like it had been painted recently, a clean kitchen, and two separate bedrooms containing king size beds and ensuites.

‘Not bad,’ Alex admitted as they set their luggage down.

‘Not bad? Something like this would cost a fortune in the city!’ Kara replied. ‘Did it cost a fortune?’

Alex shrugged. ‘The DEO paid for it.’

Kara looked around appreciatively for a moment before turning back to her sister. ‘Can we get lunch now? I’m starving.’

Alex nodded with a laugh. Typical Kara.

* * * *

Maxwell Lord was seated at a window table in the Midtown Coffee Pot Café sipping a latte. He made a face at the taste and put it down. An expensive laptop rested on the surface in front of him and he tapped away at the keys for a minute, opened a new browser window and proceeded to read his emails. He sighed at all the unread notifications. The amount of idiots that wanted to talk to him was growing as his involvement in the war against the aliens leaked out. He’d denied everything of course, the DEO had forced him to, but that hadn’t stopped the press harassing him.

Leaving National City for a week had been a blessing, even if it did require him to attend a few dull business meetings in Midtown. There wasn’t a hell of a lot here, but at least it was different. He’d received next to no communication from the DEO after the war, despite reaching out to Alex. They appeared to have finished with him, but he wasn’t entirely ready to be done with them. It was difficult to let it all go when he’d looked death square in its head-exploding face and escaped, alongside Alex, Kara, Hank and everyone else that had been involved. Not really the kind of incident that you moved on from easily.

Max rubbed his eyes in an attempt to clear his head and focus on the reports that he was supposed to have read yesterday. The meeting was this afternoon, but he hadn’t been able to concentrate lately. His brain just wouldn’t shut up; ideas swirled around his head, his scientific knowledge going wild to come up with half-inventions, half-plans. He tried to write it all down, but there was just so much that he didn’t get anywhere with it.

He had no direction that was the problem. The projects that were already in motion at Lord Technologies were developing smoothly enough, but Max felt like he didn’t have a goal to work towards at the moment. There was nothing driving him except the lack of purpose now that he was an outcast from the DEO, left to his memories of the fear, of the hope that Supergirl gave National City, of gripping Alex’s hand when he thought he was going to die.

Max shook his head roughly at the thought of holding Alex’s hand. _Where did that come from?_ he wondered. _Get a grip._ Giving up on the figures on his computer screen, he glanced out the window to watch the people of Midtown strolling along the pavement. The sun was out and people were in short sleeves, soaking it up. A young couple walked by holding hands, the boy carrying shopping bags no doubt filled with his girlfriend’s new clothes. A father pushed a stroller along, the toddler inside licking a lollipop earnestly. Across the road, a woman dragged a barking dog on a leash towards her parked car.

Max was just about to try and give that latte another go when two women walking past caught his eye and he choked. They didn’t even glance at the window, continuing past the door of the café, but Max watched them until he couldn’t see them anymore. Alex and Kara Danvers. What the hell were they doing here? A smile crept slowly onto Max’s face. If they were here, that meant that there was something going on. Something dangerous. Probably alien. And Max was going to found out exactly what it was.


	2. Chapter 2

Max pulled his laptop towards him and typed ‘Midtown’ into the Google News search bar. A few articles came up, most of them related to school soccer competition results, but one headline caught his eye – _STRANGE LIGHTS IN SCHOOL LIBRARY._ He clicked on the link and scanned the article quickly, taking in the details. It was from a couple of weeks ago. Some local kid had been hanging around the school late at night (apparently he’d left his bike chain, but Max thought he was more likely to have had a can of spray paint in that backpack) and had been startled by golden flashes from the window of the library. The kid had tried to look through the window, but the lights disappeared through the far door and weren’t seen again.

Tapping his chin thoughtfully, Max clicked the back button to search for other articles that might point him in the direction of the Danvers’ sisters. The only other one that he found that was relevant was a very short one from two months ago. A woman had miraculously been saved from being run down by a car that had veered off the road when a stranger pushed her out of harm’s way. The press had been unable to identify the man, and the woman insisted that he had been on the other side of the road when it happened. _“It was impossible,”_ the news article quoted. _“I swear he was walking on the sidewalk over there and then suddenly he was pushing me out of the way. And then he just disappeared!”_ It wasn’t a lot to go on, but it was start.

Max sat in contemplative silence for a few moments more and then began typing again. The incident with the woman had occurred before the article about the odd lights and Max figured Alex and the DEO would investigate things in chronological order so he decided to find the woman first. Maybe if he was lucky, he’d discover something useful before the Danvers even got there. They’d have to accept his help then.

The news article had named the woman as Helena Dodd. It was an easy matter to discover her address between the phone book and the internet. Even without Max’s hacking abilities, personal details were not so private in this age of technology and digital takeover. It took Max mere minutes to determine that Helena Dodd, 47, lived at number 7 Bishop Street, West Midtown. As if Midtown was big enough to have a West.

Satisfied, Max shut down the laptop and stuffed it into its bag. There was no time to waste since Alex was probably already on her way. He raced out of the café and hailed a taxi, directing the driver to his destination. The driver, a portly black man, attempted to rouse Max into conversation by remarking that he hadn’t seen him around before.

‘You from outta town?’

‘Yeah,’ Max replied disinterestedly. ‘National City.’

‘The big smoke, huh? Never been there myself. What’s it like?’

‘Big.’

‘No kiddin’.’

The driver gave up after that. Clearly his passenger was some snobby city slicker that had no time for people that weren’t kitted up in expensive suits. So be it.

Max watched impatiently out the window as the houses crawled by, hoping that he would get there on time. He had to admit that the little town had character. Each house was of a different style with flourishing gardens and porches containing everything from bikes to wind chimes to mud-caked football boots. In the city, every building was pretty much the same. Monotonous. Not that it mattered to him; his penthouse was superb and unmatched in the whole of National City. He didn’t even spend that much time there.

Broken out of his reverie by the car screeching to a stop outside number seven, the driver jabbed a finger at the meter and held out his hand wordlessly. Max held back a snort. _Petty._ He handed over the fare without fuss and climbed out of the cab, only just managing to shut the door before it zoomed off.

Max rolled up his sleeves and looked up, taking in the home of his first lead. It was unremarkable, a white weatherboard affair with a patchy lawn. A pot of wilting roses hung from the porch light next to the front door, but that was about the only feature that made it look as if someone lived there.

He tapped his fingers against his leg absently. Should he go and knock on the door? What if Alex was already inside, interrogating the woman? Maybe he’d beaten them to it, in which case he’d have the upper hand. Information to hang over Alex’s head, something to convince her to let him join in the hunt. Yes, that was a good plan. He set his teeth, marched up to the door and knocked confidently.

30 seconds passed in silence and Max was afraid that there was no one home, but then the shuffling of feet echoed from behind the door and it opened a crack to reveal a tall, busty woman with dark hair, greying at the roots. She was in jeans and a cardigan and appeared slightly flustered as if she’d just been interrupted.

‘Hello,’ Max began with his best smile. ‘My name’s Marcus Gregson. I’m with the National City news crew investigating out of town incidents to give National City a wider coverage. Are you Helena Dodd by any chance?’

The woman had listened in silence, peering at Max and falling for his charm. Max had to suppress an eye roll at how easy it was. Even the fake name had made him cringe.

‘Yes, that’s me,’ Helena replied cautiously. ‘What can I do for you Mr Gregson?’

‘Please, call me Marcus,’ Max drawled, voice like honey. ‘Well Helena, I was wondering if you would be willing to tell me about your near miss a couple of months ago. I read about it online and it seems to me the whole thing is still a mystery! Nothing sells like mysteries in National City, so if you don’t mind, I’d love to publish your story in our newspaper. What do you say?’

Helena considered it for a moment. ‘Even though it was two months ago?’ She asked sceptically.

‘It will be the first in a new series of unsolved incidents.’

‘Well…’

‘It’s completely up to you, Helena.’ Max held up his hands innocently, encouraging her to think it was her choice when really he knew a small town woman like her wouldn’t shun the publicity. Not when her comments in the original article had been so enthusiastic.

‘Well, alright then. Do you need to ask me some more questions? Come in, I’ll put the kettle on.’

She opened the door to allow Max inside and he followed her down the hall and into the kitchen where she gestured for him to sit down at the table. She bustled about making tea which Max drank politely if not reluctantly and he settled into his new reporter guise.

‘So Helena, if you could start from the beginning and tell me exactly what happened.’

‘Well, I was coming home from having lunch with friends at the Firth Street café, you know the one that does those excellent quiches? Well, I was coming home from there and I was just walking along on the sidewalk when this car coming towards me started jerking left and right and then it veered right off the road and onto the footpath. It was coming straight towards me, I was so shocked, I couldn’t even move, as you might imagine it was quite frightening. I just froze right up!’

Max nodded understandingly, placing a finger across his lips. Helena was enjoying this retelling that much he was sure of.

‘Anyway, this wasn’t in the main street, it happened in Pan Avenue so the road is quite narrow, but that still doesn’t explain how that man got to me so quickly.’

‘What man?’

‘Oh sorry dear, I jumped ahead there. Well, the car was almost on me and I thought for sure that was it, that I was going to die right there and then, but suddenly I got knocked out of the way and wound up face first on the lawn of one of the houses. The car missed me and kept going, they didn’t even stop. How awful is that? Probably drunk young hooligans. I know it was a man who pushed me because he’d been walking on the other side of the street at the same time as me so of course I’d noticed him and when I got up he was nowhere to be seen and neither was my saviour!’

She crossed her arms with a satisfied smile as if daring Max to question that it couldn’t possibly have happened that way, that she must have imagined things and maybe she’d just been lucky and had tripped or dived out of the way but didn’t remember it because of the shock.

Instead he asked, ‘Could you describe the man?’

‘Oh,’ Helena started, surprised, ‘well I suppose he was old. Maybe not elderly, but old. Grey hair. Um…’ she screwed up her face to think, ‘he had a cardigan on. Yes, that’s right because I remember thinking to myself that it was such a dull colour. Beige. Why do all old people wear beige?’

‘And you didn’t know this man? You hadn’t seen him around before?’

‘Well, the more I think of it the more I think I had seen him before. I can’t think where though. He was carrying a satchel so it’s possible he was walking home from work. Maybe he lives in Pan Avenue too! Oh, I hadn’t thought of that!’

Again Max had to restrain himself from rolling his eyes. ‘About what time did the incident occur?’

‘About four in the afternoon. Yes, it would’ve been just after four.’

Max nodded once and rose from his chair. He’d been here long enough. Time to leave before Alex found him here. ‘Well thank you Helena, you’ve been most helpful.’

‘Is that all? Don’t you want to know about all the things the police asked me? I spent two whole hours at the station and they asked me most of the things you just did.’

‘Thank you Helena, but that won’t be necessary. You’ve told a great story already and I’m sure my boss will love it.’

‘Well alright then. Thank you for coming Marcus, it’s all very exciting isn’t it? Here, I’ll show you out.’

Max left very quickly after that and caught another taxi back to his motel apartment. It was a loose thread that he’d chosen to pull on, but he hoped that the details might be enough. He booted up his laptop and began studying maps of Midtown, noting down the places near Pan Avenue where an elderly gentleman might work. He did a search on the residents of Midtown, but that was slightly more difficult. Small towns just don’t have the data that big cities do. In the city, everything you do is recorded somewhere.

After an hour of researching, he realised that the answer had been in front of him all along. Most of the shops near Pan Avenue were either cafes or women’s fashion related, neither of which was likely to hire an old man. There were, however, two schools in the vicinity, within walking distance. The incident had occurred just after four so that meant school would definitely have finished. And then the light bulb went off in Max’s brain. Midtown High was the closest school to Pan Avenue. Its school uniform colour was beige and grey. And it was also the school that the first strange news article had been about, the lights in the library. The DEO had sent Alex here for this? It was too easy. Max smiled.


	3. Chapter 3

The sun was sinking slowly towards the horizon, turning the sky a deep shade of orange tinged with pinks and purples. The evening news warbled from the television in Max’s motel room as he contemplated his dinner plans. He wasn’t thrilled by the choices on offer in Midtown and so he’d stalled long enough that it was nearly seven o’clock by the time he put on his jacket and walked out the door. His Mercedes was rather extravagant compared to the beaten up Fords and Toyotas that were parked under the other carports. There was a dark blue BMW out the front of the unit opposite his that drew his eye as he reached for the handle of his own car. It was the only other vehicle in the vicinity that looked like it didn’t belong. 

The door of the unit in question opened before Max could slide into the driver’s seat and he was suddenly very grateful that he hadn’t gone out to dinner early. Kara Danvers stepped outside into the fading light, shutting the door behind her. She unlocked the BMW and was about to climb in when a familiar voice called her name.

‘Kara Danvers,’ Max said, strolling towards her with his arms opened wide, ‘what a pleasant surprise.’

‘Oh, you’ve got be to kidding me,’ Kara groaned, jamming her hands on her hips. ‘What the hell are you doing here Max?’

Kara hated it when Max used her real name. It still unnerved her that he knew her identity and that smug smile was only infuriating her more.

‘I could ask you the same question, but since you asked first, I’m here on business. Lucrative, of course. Investors love me, you see.’

‘Right,’ Kara snorted. ‘Now can I help you with something or do you just exist to be a pain in my ass?’

‘I have much higher goals than that, I assure you. Now is Alex around? My favourite agent hasn’t been returning my calls.’

‘I wonder why,’ Kara said sarcastically. She glanced at the motel room door, back at Max and then at the BMW, biting her lip. Max could see her weighing the decision to let him in. Eventually she said, ‘You’re lucky I’m hungry.’ Max didn’t understand the reference, but Kara waved vaguely at the door. ‘She’s inside. I’m going to get dinner. Don’t expect any.’

Kara climbed into her car and Max waved cheerily as she drove off. _Perfect,_ he thought. He let himself in, shutting the door softly behind him and turned to take in the living area that was almost exactly the same as his own room. He glanced around, poking his head into the kitchen, but finding it empty. Acting like he owned the place, Max strolled into the little hallway that was dotted with three doors, two open and one closed. The first open door was a laundry which he barely glanced at. The door at the end of the hall was slightly ajar so he knocked loudly on it before entering, hoping that Alex was in a good mood today. There was no reply so he stepped inside and looked around for her, but was again greeted by silence.

A small suitcase sat at the foot of the bed, its lid closed. A pair of blue jeans and a red knitted sweater lay discarded next to it. A mobile phone was on top of a book on the bedside table. Max couldn’t see the title from where he stood. The covers on the bed hadn’t been disturbed yet and they were tucked so tightly underneath the mattress that it looked like it was about to burst.

Max shrugged to himself, figuring that this was Kara’s room and that Alex must be in the one behind the closed door back down the hall. He was just about to leave when a door to his left that he hadn’t noticed opened and Alex Danvers emerged wearing nothing but a white towel wrapped tightly around her lithe body.

Max stared, eyes suddenly wide. His heart stopped. She hadn’t noticed him standing there, half hidden by the door, but he couldn’t make his feet move to leave before she did notice. Kara was either playing a cruel joke on him or she didn’t know that Alex had gone to have a shower. 

His lips parted ever so slightly as she walked over to the bed to pick up her phone. Her hair was slightly damp from the shower and her bare feet padded softly on the thin carpet. Her skin looked warm and soft against the bright white of the towel. Max’s eyes trailed along her exposed shoulders, down the curves beneath the towel to her legs. He thought briefly of a diamond – stunning, but with a strength that belied its appearance. She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.

Until she looked up and she became the most dangerous thing he’d ever seen.

The phone fell out of her hands as Alex jumped backwards in fright, clutching the towel to her chest and instinctively reaching for a gun that wasn’t there. She certainly hadn’t been expecting anyone to be hovering in her doorway, not Kara and least of all Max. They stared at each other in horror; Alex horrified that she was practically naked, Max horrified that he’d been so captivated by her that he’d allowed himself to get caught.

‘What are you doing here?’ she yelled when she found her voice. _‘GET OUT!’_

‘I-I’m…’ Max stammered, attempting to apologise but only making it worse.

‘OUT!’ Alex yelled again.

Max nodded and dashed out of the doorway, down the hall and back into the living area. The silence was deafening as he sat down on the couch in a daze. He had not been expecting that. The image of Alex checking her phone, the towel folded tightly just to the right of her breast, danced across his vision. His mouth went dry. 

He was quickly brought crashing back to reality by the sound of angry footsteps. Alex stormed into the room, fully clothed now, her face like thunder.

‘What the _hell_ are you doing here Max?’ She seethed. ‘And you’d better have a good answer or I will take great pleasure in strangling you!’

Max raised his hands in a placating gesture. ‘I didn’t mean to walk in on you. I’m sorry.’

‘Why were you lurking in my freaking doorway then?’

‘I wasn’t lurking,’ Max began with a nervous laugh, but Alex wasn’t having any of it.

‘What are you doing here?’ She tapped her foot on the floor, hands on her hips. Max wondered if the aliens that Alex had captured felt like he did right now under her furious gaze. He was glad that she didn’t have a gun.

‘Business meeting,’ Max began, ‘I’ve got a business meeting. I’m staying in the room across from here. I saw you and Kara this afternoon in the main street, figured you were here on a DEO assignment.’

Alex’s eyes narrowed as she thought back to their investigation into the first lead of the case. Helena Dodd had gushed about a handsome man from the newspaper which had made Alex suspicious immediately, but the pieces fell into place now that Max was here. That was just how her luck worked. 

‘You wouldn’t happen to know a Marcus Gregson, would you Max?’ She hissed. Max bit his lip and tried to look innocent. It didn’t work. ‘Oh, for god’s sake.’ Alex shook her head in exasperation when she took his silence to mean he most definitely did know a Marcus Gregson.

‘Did you really expect that you could just wash your hands of me after Myriad?’ Max asked with slight anger in his voice. ‘As if I could just forget everything that happened?’

‘We moved on, Max,’ Alex shot back. ‘We were lucky to survive it and we had to move on and make sure nothing like that could ever happen again. You’re not DEO and I’m sure you’ve got a company to run.’

‘Alex, I want to help. I don’t want to sit on the sidelines anymore, not when I know that there’s more I can do. I thought Lord Technologies was the best way that I could help people, but it’s just a small part. You can’t honestly tell me that the DEO wouldn’t benefit from my skills.’

Alex stared at him for a moment as she tried to work out where this was going. The thing that unsettled her most was that Max was being genuine. She could see the brightness in his eyes and noticed that his hair was slightly messier than usual, as if he’d been in a rush when he’d gotten dressed. Did he feel as lost and restless as she had felt before coming out here on her first proper mission since Myriad?

‘Are you asking to join the DEO?’ Alex asked eventually. ‘Because that’s not how it works and I’m pretty sure that Hank would not stop at a polite ‘no’ if you did ask.’

Max let out a huff and curled his tongue over his bottom lip. Arguing with Alex was impossible and Max was not a man used to losing.

‘The alien you’re looking for works at Midtown High,’ he said abruptly.

‘What?’

‘He’s an old man, probably a librarian or something. Wears beige cardigans.’

‘Wait a second,’ Alex snapped, sitting down on the couch next to him. ‘Did Helena tell you that?’

‘Worked it out on my own,’ Max replied with a shrug. ‘Wasn’t hard. Hank’s wasting your brain Alex, you’re much too intelligent to be running this job.’

Alex pursed her lips. It frustrated her when Max complimented her intelligence because most men couldn’t care less whether she was smart or not. In fact, her intelligence often intimidated them and drove them away, but not Max. It was part of the reason he was so intrigued by her and it was also one of the few things that Alex did like about him, that he saw her as more than just a woman to flirt with. Although he did still do his fair share of flirting.

‘And you want in on this job that’s below me, is that it?’ Alex asked.

Max nodded with a smile, the first hint of cheekiness that he’d shown since he’d arrived. That was more like Max.

‘Come on Alex, partnering up will be just like old times.’ He gave her a wink and crossed his fingers.

Seconds passed as Alex wrestled with what to do. Eventually she just sighed.

‘Fine. I can’t believe I’m doing this, but fine Max, you can help us find the goddamn alien.’

Max grinned in triumph. He usually got what he wanted, but this was somehow more satisfying.

A knock at the door startled them and Alex glared at him again.

‘Not a word to Kara about…about before,’ she threatened.

‘Wouldn’t dream of it.’ Max nodded seriously as Alex got up to let Kara in, his lips twitching as he reflected on the way his heart had flipped when Alex had walked out of her bathroom in just a towel. His eyes unconsciously followed her hips as she walked across the room. She had the brain and the looks. Was there anything about Alex Danvers that wasn’t attractive?

A voice in his head whispered, _‘She threw you in a cell once. She still doesn’t like you much.’_ He pushed it away and told it to shut up. That was months ago and it had been his fault. They’d made progress since then. Hey, she’d agreed to let him join in on this mission so she must like him a little bit right?

He waited patiently as Alex quickly explained the situation to a flabbergasted Kara who was carrying four pizza boxes – one for Alex, three for her as it turned out.

‘You must be joking,’ Kara muttered under her breath as she dumped her dinner on the table.

‘No jokes,’ Max called happily. ‘How does Agent Lord sound?’

Alex rolled her eyes before relenting and asked, ‘Do you want some dinner or what?’

‘Alex!’ Kara protested as Max joined them at the table.

‘Kara, there’s four pizzas.’

‘Alien metabolism, remember?’

Max watched them argue with amusement. He was about to intervene when Alex tore three slices from one of Kara’s pizzas and three from her own, putting them on the lid of her pizza box so that it rested between them like a conjoined plate.

‘There,’ she said with finality.

Kara sulked, but didn’t complain. Three slices was better than a whole pizza she supposed.

‘Alex, as much as I appreciate the generosity, you don’t have to give me your dinner.’

‘Oh just eat it, Max,’ she said, taking a bite.

They ate in silence for a minute or so and Max couldn’t help thinking that there was something enjoyable about sitting next to Alex whilst Kara glared at him from across the table.

‘So,’ he said eventually, ‘what’s our next move?’

Kara rolled her eyes at Max’s ‘go team’ attitude, but Alex turned to him and contemplated the question.

‘Investigate the school library I guess. Talk to the principal, that kid who saw the lights. This man in the beige cardigan that you’re so sure about.’

‘What about your business meeting?’ Kara asked pointedly.

‘I’ll reschedule,’ Max shrugged. ‘It was going to be boring anyway.’

The conversation continued in ebbs and flows, and Kara was slightly annoyed that Alex seemed so comfortable chatting with Max about things she didn’t understand. Once she’d finished eating, she excused herself and went to bed which made Alex feel a bit guilty. Max took the hint, surprisingly.

‘I should go,’ he said, standing up. ‘It’s a long walk back to my motel room after all.’

‘We’ll head out early tomorrow,’ Alex replied, walking Max to the door. ‘Get to the school by 7:30, before all the kids get there.’

She opened the door and Max stepped outside into the inky darkness of night, the only light coming from behind Alex, draping her face in shadow.

‘Synchronise watches?’

‘Really Max?’

‘You know Agent Danvers,’ Max said quietly, taking a step closer so Alex could hear him, ‘towels look very good on you.’

He winked and walked away before Alex could hit him, but she was very glad that it was dark and that he couldn’t see her blushing furiously. She slammed the door shut with exasperation. Why was her face so hot? _Stupid Max,_ she thought as she stalked away to her room, her heart doing tiny little flips that she really did not approve of. She pictured him standing in her doorway staring at her, his mouth open ever so slightly. So much for an easy few days in Midtown.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted to say thank you for all your lovely comments and for coming back and reading my stuff after I stopped posting for a while! Hope you enjoy this chapter, I feel like I've got my mojo back.

Alex awoke to a crisp morning, the air chilly on her shoulders, and immediately curled into a warm ball underneath the covers. Sunlight streamed through a small gap in the curtains sending dust motes scurrying madly through the room. She raised sleep-filled eyes to the alarm clock on the table beside the bed, sighing inwardly when she saw the time – 6:29am, one minute before the alarm was supposed to go off. With an exaggerated huff, Alex cancelled the alarm before it could start blaring in her ear. If she had to wake up, she may as well do it peacefully.

Within fifteen minutes, Alex and Kara were ready to go. Despite the early wake up, Kara had had no intention of skipping breakfast so the three of them were stopping at the café opposite the school before beginning their investigation.

Alex made her way over to Max’s motel room as Kara locked the door of their own. She raised her hand to knock, but the door opened before she could finish the action and Max almost walked straight into her.

‘I guess I’m not the only one who lurks in peoples’ doorways,’ Max said, his startled expression fading quickly.

‘Well, if you would stop just appearing out of nowhere,’ Alex grumbled.

The short drive to the café was spent in the silence of those who have just woken up. Even Max didn’t start talking until he’d had a few mouthfuls of scrambled eggs and coffee.

‘Who are we today?’ He asked, waving his fork in a circle. ‘FBI, CIA, National City news?’

‘FBI,’ Alex replied, ‘following up on any alien sightings after the incident in National City earlier this year. You can stick with your ridiculous fake name and hope that nobody recognises you.’

Kara smirked a little. Now that she knew it had been Max that Helena Dodd had spoken to, she was even more amused at how taken with him Helena had been. _Very handsome man,_ she’d said. _Very charming. Would’ve broken some hearts, no doubt about that!_

‘And if they do?’ Max continued.

‘We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.’

* * * *

Midtown High was a sprawling building of classrooms and offices in the shape of a U, but one drawn by a child who was holding a pencil for the first time. The corridors veered off at odd angles and the rooms weren’t perfectly square. Behind the campus, there were two football fields and a large gymnasium. On the right side of the main building, the library stuck out like a tail.

Alex, Kara and Max approached the entrance to the main reception, passing empty bike racks and a man running the American flag up a flagpole. He nodded good morning to them and finished securing the flag, now flapping in the slight breeze.

Alex pushed open the door and entered into a sparse reception area fronted by a wide desk full of forms and posters regarding dress codes, music lessons and first aid procedures. A blonde woman with a severe nose and even harsher eyebrows sat behind the desk tapping away at a computer. Alex couldn’t help but think that she looked awfully like a bird of prey.

‘Excuse me,’ Alex began, making the woman look up, ‘my name is Alex Danvers. I was wondering if we could speak to the principal.’

‘Do you have an appointment?’ the woman asked in a drawl.

‘No, but it’s a matter of importance.’ Alex pulled out her false FBI licence and flashed it in front of the woman. Her eyes widened and she nodded quickly.

‘Of course,’ she said, picking up the phone. ‘Just a second.’

They waited while she called through to the principal and announced rather grandly that the FBI was here to see him. Alex hoped that she wouldn’t go blabbing about them to all the people who came through the front desk today. Max and Kara raised their eyebrows at each other and then returned to scanning the posters idly until they heard the phone being put down with a loud _clack._

‘You may go in now. Just down the hall to the right.’

Alex thanked her and they followed her directions to a door with a gold plaque that read _Andrew Bolton, Principal._ After two knocks, a voice called out, ‘Come in!’ They entered in single file, closing the door behind them.

Andrew Bolton stood up from behind his desk, buttoning his blazer. He was an imposing man with large shoulders and a straight, grey moustache. He would’ve looked more at home as the commander of a military school.

‘Andrew Bolton,’ he said, holding out a hand to Alex who stood in front of the other two.

‘Alex Danvers,’ she replied, shaking his hand with the firmest grip she could muster. ‘Mr Bolton, these are my colleagues, Miss Henshaw and Mr Gregson. We’re with the FBI. I’m sorry to disturb you so early in the morning, but we were hoping that you would be able to answer some questions about an incident you had here at the school about two weeks ago.’

‘Ah,’ Bolton grimaced, knowing what was coming. He gestured to the chairs arrayed before his desk and returned to his own. Alex, Kara and Max settled themselves into the seats and listened intently. ‘The lights in the library. Sounds like a bad science fiction novel doesn’t it? To be honest with you Miss Danvers, I’m not totally convinced that the boy who saw them was telling the truth.’

‘And why is that?’

‘The police looked into it,’ he shrugged. ‘Watched the place every night for a few days. Nothing out of the ordinary so the case was closed. Young Jackson Hathaway was obviously just looking to stir up a bit of trouble.’

‘Does he normally stir up trouble?’ Max asked, earning a glare from Alex that said, _Let me do the talking!_

‘No more than your usual teenage boy I suppose, but it’s a small town Mr Gregson. A stunt like that, get your name in the papers for a few days, five minutes of fame. That sort of thing.’

‘Could we speak to Jackson, Mr Bolton?’

‘Miss Danvers, may I ask why on earth the FBI is interested in the imaginings of a fourteen year old schoolboy?’

‘There have been incidents in National City recently which has led us to expanding our investigations to ensure that the nation’s security evolves with the times.’ Alex explained without missing a beat.

The comment confused Bolton for a moment, but then his eyes widened as it dawned on him what Alex meant.

‘Aliens,’ he breathed. ‘You think these lights are from an alien?’

‘We have to investigate the possibility. I’m sure you understand that this has to be kept between us, Mr Bolton.’

The principal burst out into a hearty laugh, surprising his guests. ‘Oh don’t worry Miss Danvers you can be sure it won’t leave this room. I assure you that the likelihood of an alien going unnoticed in this sleepy old town is very low.’

‘Nevertheless sir, we’d like to speak to the boy and have a look at the library. If you could provide a list of staff that have access to the library, especially after hours, that would be appreciated.’

Bolton sighed and tapped his thick fingers on his desk, sizing up the odd trio in front of him. Clearly the red head was the brains of the outfit. The man had mostly sat back and let the Danvers woman take charge and the blonde girl hadn’t said a word. _Maybe she’s the muscle,_ he thought with a snicker.

‘Very well,’ he said eventually. ‘I’ll show you to the library and when Jackson arrives I’ll have him come to my office. As for the staff, we have two librarians, Ronald Thornton and Terry Mitchell, but neither of them have access after hours. The only entrance is from this building which I lock when I leave.’

Alex nodded understandingly, rising from her chair to follow Bolton out of his office, through the reception area and across the hall to the library.

‘He thinks it’s all a big joke,’ Max whispered to Alex as they walked.

‘Probably for the best,’ she replied.

‘Bet he wouldn’t be laughing if he knew an alien had just been sitting right in front of him,’ Kara chipped in quietly. Alex gave her a stern look, but Max almost laughed.

‘Here you are,’ Bolton called over his shoulder and gestured through the library’s double doors. ‘Feel free to look around for…whatever it is you’re looking for. If you come back to my office in half an hour, I’ll have Jackson Hathaway waiting for you.’

‘Thank you,’ Alex replied and watched the principal march away.

‘What _are_ we looking for exactly?’ Max asked when he was out of earshot.

‘Anything unusual.’

‘That’s descriptive.’

‘Just look around, ok?’ Alex huffed.

They split up, Max wandering away to the left, Kara and Alex heading to the right. The library was long, divided by three rows of bookshelves that stretched away to the back wall. There was an alcove on the left that held a couple of self-serve borrowing computers and two doors on the right hid the offices of the absent librarians. Books filled every nook and cranny of the place.

Alex peered around, wondering whether they’d find anything. She had nothing to go on, nothing to point her in the right direction. Just the word of a teenage boy that there had been some odd lights here. She suddenly found herself wondering whether Hank had been overcautious with this case. 

‘Can you have a look into the two offices down there?’ She asked Kara, figuring that the rooms would be locked until the librarians arrived with the keys.

‘On it,’ Kara nodded, heading over to the first door and using her x-ray vision to search the office. Papers stacked on a desk. Books piled up along two shelves, seemingly in random order. A filing cabinet. A framed picture of three girls, all about Kara’s age, clearly sisters. All above board.

She moved onto the next room and found much of the same, although there were no framed photographs here. Instead there was a painting of a strange landscape, the earth a dusty yellow, the sky a deep red. There were mountains in the background and what looked like trees in the foreground, but they weren’t like any trees Kara had ever seen. They were bone white and bent at odd angles, the branches folding back in on themselves. Bright blue leaves covered the trees and littered the ground, the only sign of life in an otherwise barren landscape. The colours didn’t match and Kara wondered whether it was supposed to be some sort of post-modern, abstract, do-what-you-like-and-call-it-art piece. Despite its artistic oddness, the painting itself was rather good, clearly a labour of love. She wondered if the librarian who occupied the office had painted it.

‘Anything?’ Alex asked, coming to stand beside Kara.

‘Books, filing cabinets, office stuff. I’m beginning to wonder if maybe that Bolton guy’s scepticism wasn’t so farfetched.’

‘I must admit, I’ve been thinking the same thing. Hank’s been a bit-‘

‘Hey, over here!’ Max called, interrupting Alex. ‘Come and look at this.’

Kara raised her eyebrows at Alex and followed her over to where Max was crouched next to one of the many bookshelves that flanked the borrowing alcove.

‘What is it Max?’ Kara asked.

‘Check out the scratch marks on this wall,’ he said, pointing. 

The girls crouched down next to him to look, their eyes following the ends of three deep gouge marks along the wall next to the shelf. Alex peered behind it and saw that about four inches worth of wall behind the shelf had been scratched.

‘It’s been moved to cover them, but whoever moved it didn’t quite hide the whole lot,’ Max explained.

‘I think we can agree that they weren’t made by some kid with scissors and nothing better to do,’ Kara murmured.

‘I wonder if Bolton knows about this,’ Alex wondered out loud, running her fingers over the scratches. It looked like an enormous cat had taken a swipe at the wall and walked away with chunks of plaster on its nails.

‘How did the police not find this?’ Max asked with a shake of his head. ‘Surely they at least had a look around inside.’

‘Doubt it,’ Alex replied. ‘You saw how seriously Bolton took it. He probably just told them this Jackson kid was making it up for attention or something.’

‘Speaking of Jackson,’ Kara chimed in, ‘it’s eight o’clock. Should we head back to Bolton’s office and see if he’s there yet?’

‘Good idea,’ Alex nodded. ‘Don’t mention the marks on the wall to either of them. No use scaring them.’

Max and Kara silently agreed and they headed back across the hall. Bolton’s door was open so Max went ahead and knocked, ushering Alex and Kara in and shutting the door behind them.

Bolton was seated behind his desk again. A boy with short brown hair and freckles sat in one of the chairs in front, his schoolbag slumped at his feet. His eyes widened, studying the three ‘FBI agents’ excitedly as they entered the office.

‘Here you are Miss Danvers,’ Bolton said loudly, ‘this is Jackson Hathaway. Jackson this is Miss Danvers, Miss Henshaw and Mr Gregson from the FBI. They want to hear your story about the lights.’ His voice was almost a sneer as if he was teasing the boy.

‘It’s not a story,’ Jackson mumbled angrily.

Alex and Kara took the remaining two seats, leaving Max standing behind them with his hands in his pockets. He tried not to cross his arms and look imposing. They wanted the kid to talk after all.

‘Jackson,’ Alex began politely, ‘could you tell us what happened please? From the beginning?’

‘Sure,’ he replied, sitting up a little straighter.

Max snorted quietly. The kid was loving the attention. _Then again,_ Max thought to himself, _I wouldn’t have snubbed two women who looked like the Danvers if they’d thought I was important when I was fourteen._

‘It was about two weeks ago now,’ Jackson continued. ‘I’d left my bike chain here, must have unlocked my bike and got distracted and just left it on the ground or something. Wouldn’t have mattered usually, but it was a Friday night and me and my friends were going to ride down to the big mall on the other side of town the next day and I didn’t want to leave my bike unchained so I figured I’d just go and find it. I rode down to the school, had a look around the racks and the chain was there. I was just about to leave when I saw all this golden light coming from the library windows. I ran over to have a look ‘cause it was flashing like crazy, but when I pressed my face against the glass, it stopped. Somebody was definitely in there though, I saw a shadow moving through one of the doors in the moonlight.’

Jackson spoke faster the longer his tale went on. He shrugged casually a couple of times as if the whole thing had been no big deal, but he hadn’t relaxed back into his chair.

‘What time were you at the school Jackson?’ Kara asked and his eyes swivelled to look at her instead of Alex.

 _The stories he’ll tell his friends about these two,_ Max thought with a snicker.

‘Eight maybe? Eight thirty? I dunno.’

‘And you never saw the lights again after that? Mr Bolton said the police investigated and didn’t see them.’

Jackson cast a quick glance at Bolton before replying. Max and Kara didn’t notice it, but Alex did.

‘No,’ he said quietly. ‘I didn’t see them again.’

‘There you have it,’ Bolton boomed. ‘The tale of a schoolboy. Now Miss Danvers, if you don’t mind, school has started and I have a job to do.’

Alex pursed her lips, but said nothing. She rose from her seat and looked Bolton square in the face. ‘Of course Mr Bolton, wouldn’t want these teenagers helping with federal investigations now would we?’ Bolton looked like he’d been punched. ‘Thank you Jackson.’

Jackson smiled and nodded as Alex marched out the door. Max and Kara grinned at each other and followed her out.

‘I think you’ve got an admirer,’ Max teased.

‘Oh please,’ Alex rolled her eyes. ‘He’s fourteen. He seemed pretty sure of what he saw though. I think Bolton put him off a bit.’

‘What do you mean?’ Kara asked.

‘He kept glancing at Bolton, like he didn’t want to say more in front of him.’

‘Probably afraid he’ll get detention,’ Max shrugged.

‘I don’t know…’

They were almost to the front gate when a voice called out from behind them.

‘Miss Danvers!’

Alex turned to find Jackson sprinting after them, slowing to a halt with his backpack sliding down one shoulder.

‘Jackson,’ Alex said, surprised, ‘what is it?’

‘It’s the lights,’ Jackson huffed, ‘I lied before. I _have_ seen them again. They stopped for a while, when the police were watching, but when the case was closed they started up again. They’re there every night.’

‘Why didn’t you say so before?’

‘I didn’t want Mr Bolton to know I’d been back to the school at night. He doesn’t believe me. No one does. Miss Danvers, is it an alien? You’re from National City right?’

Alex bit her lip and glanced at Kara. In the end she decided to be honest with him since he’d risked getting in trouble to dash after them.

‘We think it might be, but we don’t know for sure. Jackson, you can’t tell anyone about this until we’ve dealt with it ok? Do you understand?’

He nodded quickly. ‘I won’t tell anyone, I promise.’

‘Thank you. Go on then, you’ll be late.’

Jackson smiled at Alex gratefully and dashed off to class. Alex turned to Max and Kara and they looked at each other seriously for a moment.

‘So,’ Max began, ‘we’re doing what I think we’re doing, right?’

‘We’ll come back tonight after dark and take a look for ourselves,’ Alex confirmed.

‘Time to find us an alien!’ Max rubbed his hands together gleefully. Kara and Alex just shook their heads.


	5. Chapter 5

Kara couldn’t help but feel a little odd getting ready for a mission without her Supergirl gear. Running headfirst into possible danger just didn’t feel right without that S on her chest and her cape billowing behind her. Maybe it was just because without it she felt like she was just Kara Danvers, an identity that had never really meant much in the scheme of things. Kara Danvers didn’t save the world after all. She had to be Supergirl to do that.

With a sigh, she pulled on the combat blacks that Alex had found for her at the DEO. They reminded her a little too much of how she’d dressed when affected by the Red Kryptonite, but she was too busy wondering at how Alex almost looked more comfortable in her combat gear than she did in regular clothes to worry too much about it. Kara figured that the combat blacks were to Alex what the Supergirl outfit was to her. _Secret identities are strange,_ she reflected dryly.

They spent most of the night waiting in anticipation. Kara found herself yawning as she looked at the clock for the hundredth time, hoping that it was time to go. It was pitch black outside, the lights of the town not doing much to fend off the darkness. The blackness was something new to both Kara and Alex. In the city, there was so much light pollution that you could barely see any stars at all and even the moon lost some of its shine when you were surrounded by the garish yellows of electric lighting for miles around.

Eventually the clock read 1:30am. Alex went to fetch Max and the three of them bundled into the car, all dressed in black and looking rather suspicious. Alex appraised Max’s attire with a slight raise of an eyebrow. He was wearing black slacks and a black button up shirt. She wondered if he owned any other sort of clothes in his entire wardrobe. She pictured him in jeans and a t-shirt, but even in her imagination he still looked immaculate.

‘What?’ he asked when he noticed her staring at him, his voice suddenly loud in the kind of quiet that only exists in the middle of the night.

‘Nothing,’ she replied mildly and turned the keys in the ignition.

They parked close to the school, close enough to make a run for it if needed. There was no one around and everything was still in the cool night air. The full moon hung low and silver above them. The campus buildings loomed out of the darkness, eerily foreboding in the circumstances, and Max shivered. Why were schools so unnecessarily creepy at night?

They crept around the front of the building to a side door that Alex had noticed on their way out that afternoon. It looked like a janitor’s entrance and the lock was easily bypassed with a bit of skilled lock picking on Alex’s part. Max was silently impressed. That Alex Danvers had some tricks up her sleeve, that was for sure.

Alex crouched low and beckoned the other two after her as she entered the building. They were greeted by absolute silence, their breathing and heartbeats the only disturbance. Alex thought briefly about how different silence and quiet could be; quiet was peaceful and relaxing, but silence was full of trepidation, as if that kind of absoluteness could only precede something dramatic and horrifying.

She shook her head. _Focus,_ she told herself and stepped into the hallway.

Moonlight filtered through the front windows giving the floor a ghostly white glow and throwing disorienting shadows around corners and under the doors. Across the hall, the door to the library was closed with no hint of movement behind it.

Alex dashed over to it, her feet barely making a sound on the polished floor. She made quick work of the lock and opened the door a crack painfully slowly. She pressed one eye to the gap and peered around. Nothing.

She turned to Kara and Max who were waiting with baited breath, crouched behind her and glancing over their shoulders nervously every so often. A short jerk of Alex’s head told them the room was empty so they retreated to the small alcove across the hall that sheltered the janitor’s entrance.

‘What do we do now?’ Kara whispered. ‘Wait for it to show up?’

‘Yes,’ Alex replied. ‘Jackson said the lights had appeared every night so we wait for the lights and then we go in.’

‘And then what? Ask the alien nicely what it’s doing here?’ Max chimed in.

‘We split up,’ Alex continued sternly. ‘Kara will flank it on the right, you will follow me around to its left. If it attacks, we fight. If it doesn’t, well, there’s a first time for everything.’

Max’s brow furrowed at Alex’s blunt humour. Not a very complex plan, but she was the one with the gun so he wasn’t going to argue.

They squatted together in the doorway for half an hour, then an hour. Kara and Max grew uncomfortable and sat down on the floor, resting their backs against the wall, but Alex didn’t waver from her crouched position and they marvelled at her discipline.

Just when Kara wondered how much more of this all encompassing silence she could take without losing her mind, Alex drew in a sharp breath.

‘It’s here,’ she murmured.

Kara and Max scrambled to their feet as quietly as they could and followed Alex’s gaze to the library door. She’d left it slightly ajar and now they could see faint golden light escaping from inside. They watched as the light pulsed softly, growing brighter and brighter. After about thirty seconds, it stopped. That was their cue.

They launched into action, moving swiftly and silently into the library, Alex banking off to the left with Max, and Kara darting between the bookshelves to circle around to the right. Alex could see a shadowy figure in the centre of the aisle, shuffling about. The noise of its movement told her that it was quite large and heavy, probably awkward and slow moving. She crept forward, hoping that it couldn’t see well in the dark, her gun held tight in her hands. Her heartbeat began to speed up and she was aware of Max practically breathing in her ear.

Moments passed, time seemed to slow down.

And then all hell broke loose.

There was a brief flash of white light from somewhere, illuminating the large creature for barely an instant, and then a horrible shriek rent the silence, sending Alex tumbling backwards into Max in surprise.

The alien, whatever it was, knew that they were there. And it was coming for them.

‘Go, go!’ Alex shouted at Max, shoving him to his feet and hauling herself up after him. There was a roar of outrage from the creature when it realised they were getting away and Alex’s blood went cold when she heard the sound of pounding feet chasing after them.

She exploded out of the library door after Max, firing off a warning shot over her shoulder, and they sprinted wildly down the hall with no idea of where they were going and no notion of whether Kara was safe or not. Another bloodcurdling scream ripped through the air as they skidded around corner after corner after corner until their hearts were thudding in their chests and they were completely lost. Every dark corridor looked the same, every corner hidden in shadows, never knowing whether the alien was in front of them or behind.

After what seemed like hours of running blindly through the darkness in fear Alex grabbed Max’s arm, pulling him to a violent stop, and dragged him through an open office door. She shut it hurriedly and they dashed to the back of the room, wedging themselves between two filing cabinets that hid them from view of the doorway.

Max clapped a hand over his mouth in an attempt to quieten his breathing. Alex fancied she could just hear his heartbeat in between the thundering drumbeats of her own, squashed together as they were. She forced herself to calm down, slowed her heartbeat with the skill of years of training, and listened hard for the sounds of pursuit.

When she heard nothing, she turned to look at Max and was surprised to find no fear in his eyes. In fact, he looked rather serious. He’d taken his hand away from his mouth and was watching her, as if waiting for orders.

They were so close together it was hard for either of them not to notice the tiny details in the other’s face, even in the dark; the way Alex pursed her lips when she was worried. The set of Max’s jaw that meant he would do whatever she told him to. Alex’s hair tucked behind her right ear. Max’s eyes, shadowed and soft.

‘I think it’s gone,’ Alex breathed, hardly daring to make a noise. After a moment more, she wriggled her way out of their hiding place and stood up. Her fear had dissipated.

‘Alex!’ Max hissed, very aware of the emptiness that she had left beside him.

‘Come on,’ she replied, holding out a hand and pulling him to his feet.

He went to the door first, put his ear to it and then twitched it open to peek out. He stepped out cautiously without waiting for Alex and she hurried out after him.

‘What are you doing?’ She whispered sharply.

‘If it was still here I was going to get it to chase me,’ he explained with a shrug. ‘It wouldn’t have even known you were there.’

Alex glared at him in the darkness. He’d get himself killed one of these days if he tried to protect her like that, if he… _Oh,_ she thought suddenly. He’d been trying to protect her. Her eyes narrowed even more. _I’m the one with the gun,_ she wanted to say, but didn’t.

‘…get a clean shot,’ Max finished saying as Alex realised that he’d been talking to her. He gave her a quizzical look when she didn’t reply. ‘Are you ok?’

‘Fine,’ she snapped, her training kicking in – mission first, emotions later. ‘Let’s find Kara.’

Max nodded once and followed her back down the hall. It seemed a much longer walk on the way back than their frenzied escape had been. They still listened intently for any indication that the alien was still in the building, but nothing reached their ears. Not even the footsteps of a certain Kryptonian who nearly ran straight into Alex as they both turned the corner at the same time.

‘Get back!’ Alex yelled, her gun suddenly pressed against the soft flesh of Kara’s chest. Kara managed to catch herself before she could lash out at her sister, her fists hanging in the air barely centimetres from Alex’s face.

‘Oh my god!’ They both said at the same time, horrified that they’d almost attacked each other. Kara pulled Alex into a tight hug, relieved that she was ok.

‘I followed your heartbeats,’ she explained. ‘They were so loud.’

‘That’s what happens when you’re running for your life,’ Max muttered.

‘Where is it?’ Alex asked, ignoring him.

‘It’s gone,’ Kara replied. ‘I don’t know where. It just vanished. It’s fast, maybe as fast as me.’

‘Then…why didn’t it catch us?’ Alex wondered, puzzled.

‘I don’t know.’

‘So what now?’ Max interrupted. ‘Will it even come back again now that it knows we’re onto it?’

Alex just shrugged. The whole thing was beyond strange.

‘Let’s head back for now,’ she said eventually.

The three of them found their way out of the school and back to the car. They drove back to the motel, exchanging theories about what had occurred. Alex’s brain continued its speculation long after she’d closed her bedroom door despite the late hour and her exhaustion, but she’d only just considered changing and going to bed when her phone buzzed. She picked it up and looked at the message. It was from Max.

 _Come over,_ it read. _I’ve got something to show you._

Alex sighed. _What now?_ Reluctantly, she slipped her shoes back on and tiptoed past Kara’s bedroom door and out into the dark, now closer to the deep purples of dawn than the blackness of night. She knocked on Max’s door once and stepped into the warm light when he let her in.

‘What is it Max?’ She asked tiredly.

‘Come and see,’ he said ambiguously and waved her over to the couch where a laptop was perched on the table in front of it. She sat down next to him and let her eyes rest on the screen, unsure of what she was supposed to be looking at.

On the screen was an image, mostly black except for a highlighted but grainy bit in the middle. She peered closer at it and the lighter bit slowly started to resemble something. Alex gasped.

‘Is that…?’ she choked out.

‘Yeah.’

It was the alien. From what she could make out, the creature walked on two thick legs, its two smaller arms hanging down from the front of its body. Its head had a vicious beak like an eagle’s and what looked like a tail that faded into the darkness. It looked like somebody had put a couple of different animals in a blender and built a new one with the parts that were still intact.

‘How did you get this?’

‘Took a photo on my phone when we were creeping towards it in the library.’

‘That flash, that was you?’

‘Yeah.’

Alex paused for a moment and then exclaimed, ‘That nearly got us killed!’

‘Ok, so the alien doesn’t like paparazzi,’ Max apologised in his infuriating way, ‘but at least we know what we’re up against now.’

Alex reined in her anger, taking a breath. They were both exhausted and it was five o’clock in the morning. There was no point arguing about it now.

‘New rule,’ she sighed. ‘Tell me when you’re going to do something.’

‘Like what?’ Max asked innocently.

‘Anything.’

Max grinned. Alex flopped back onto the couch and fought to keep her eyes open.

‘Alex?’

‘Mm?’

‘When this is over,’ Max said slowly, ‘don’t throw me away.’

Max’s words roused Alex and she sat up straight again.

‘What do you mean?’ she asked cautiously.

‘I mean don’t pretend like any of this never happened. You asked me once to prove that I wasn’t the bad guy. I don’t know what I have to do to convince you, but I’m very persistent.’

‘Stubborn is the word you’re looking for,’ Alex muttered, but she looked at him curiously, their eyes locked.

‘Don’t throw me away, Alex,’ Max repeated.

She looked down at her hands to escape his gaze, but he reached out and curled his fingers around hers. She couldn’t bring herself to look up. Instead, she watched his hand enclose her smaller one, his thumb rubbing softly along her skin.

‘Max…’ she warned, but the threat sounded hollow even to her.

He cleared his throat and reluctantly withdrew from the contact.

‘It’s late,’ he said, standing up. ‘You must be exhausted. I know I am. Running for your life does that to you.’

Alex rose from the couch and they walked slowly to the door. Max opened it, but they remained inside, facing each other awkwardly. A light breeze rolled in from outside, teasing Alex’s hair. The fading moonlight left glimmers in her upturned eyes.

Max leaned forward and kissed her softly on the cheek.

‘Goodnight Alex,’ he murmured.

‘Goodnight Max.’

Alex hurried back to her room and practically dived under the bed sheets. Her face burned and she put all the craziness – with Max, not the alien – down to exhaustion, but she couldn’t get his voice out of her head as she fell quickly to sleep.

_Don’t throw me away, Alex._


	6. Chapter 6

Alex, Kara and Max faced each other over the coffee table in their motel room. Max’s laptop was open on the image of the alien, a stark reminder of their close call the night before. There hadn’t been time for any pleasantries this morning, it was all business. It was time to formulate a plan of attack.

‘So,’ Alex began the debrief, spreading her hands on the table, ‘if the alien risks going back to the library tonight then we should be able to contain it. From what I saw, the door into the main hall is the only exit point for the library. If we can herd it into that alcove then maybe Kara can overpower it.’

Kara nodded firmly.

‘And how are you planning on herding a huge great thing like that exactly?’ Max asked, raising an eyebrow at Alex.

Unsaid words hung between them, remnants of the conversation of last night. With Kara there, they hadn’t had the opportunity to address it. Alex wasn’t sure that she wanted to address it, Max had sounded so…so sad.

‘Before you took that photo and gave away our position,’ she answered with a glare in Max’s direction, ‘I don’t think it even knew we were there. Maybe its vision is poor in the dark, obviously it doesn’t have super hearing. I don’t know, I’m just guessing, but I think we can use that to our advantage.’

‘I think I see where you’re going with this,’ Max nodded. ‘Couple of bright flashing lights, make it chase us one way then the other?’

‘Exactly.’

‘Sounds like a plan,’ Kara agreed. ‘Will we go at the same time tonight or is that too predictable?’

‘We know that it goes to the school at that time so we’ll stick with it.’ Alex stood up. ‘I’m going to go find a hardware store and buy some of those little LED torches for us to use. Can you two play nice for half an hour?’

‘We’ll be best friends,’ Max replied heartily, giving Kara his widest grin and receiving a filthy look in return.

‘I’ll try not to kill him,’ she conceded.

‘Well that’s something,’ Alex sighed as she grabbed her keys from the kitchen bench. ‘See you soon.’

Kara waited until she heard the car rumble to life outside before turning on Max.

‘So,’ she said conversationally, ‘what did you say to Alex that convinced her to let you in on this mission?’

‘Straight to the point aren’t you?’ Max chuckled. ‘If you must know, I told her I wanted to help.’

‘That’s it?’ Kara replied sceptically. ‘You wanted to help?’

‘I’ve offered my help before, haven’t I?’

‘I wouldn’t necessarily call it help…’

‘Look,’ Max splayed his hands out in front of him, suddenly serious, ‘you can dislike me all you want Kara, but at the end of the day I am here to help people. That’s all I’ve ever tried to do. You and Alex do what you do because you want to protect the city and you know what? I admire you for that. Not many people have the guts to stand up and fight. I mean I guess it helps when you’re a bulletproof alien…’

Kara, whose face had been softening at Max’s words, returned to a fierce glare.

‘… _but,’_ Max continued quickly, ‘that doesn’t take away from what you’re doing. So let me help too.’

He held out his hands in a conciliatory gesture and Kara had to admit that he was being utterly sincere. She eyed him carefully, reservations still buried deep within her heart, notches and scars from their previous confrontations that would never truly heal, but relented after a few moments’ consideration. Alex had decided to trust him and that was good enough for her.

‘Fine,’ she sighed, ‘I just hope you know what you’re getting yourself into.’

‘See?’ Max teased. ‘Best friends.’

‘Oh, shut up.’

* * * *

Alex returned within the hour and distributed an LED torch and a head mount to each of them. They made their final preparations and then spent the day wandering about the town aimlessly. Kara had never really enjoyed waiting and it had gotten her in trouble with Hank a couple of times early on. It was particularly irritating right now though because of the awkward silences that kept descending between her sister and Max. Something had happened between them, something had been said, that made it feel as if she was interrupting something. This feeling made her simultaneously suspicious and frustrated. She was thankful when night fell and, after a slightly quiet dinner at a local restaurant, they started to gear up.

The stars were out as they drove the now familiar road, twinkling overhead as if in anticipation for the show that was about to happen. _I hope it’s a good one,_ Kara thought to herself. The quiet surrounding the school was even eerier this time around because of their knowledge of what lurked inside. The dark windows were not welcoming and Max held his breath as they filed in stealthily through the side door.

Alex had laid out a simple plan to lure the alien into the alcove. Max would slip around to the other end of the library and flash his torch to move it away from its original position. Kara, meanwhile, would slip into the alcove and wait. Alex would then flash her torch to draw the alien back and then, when it was right in front of Kara, her sister would flash her torch and attempt to corner it and subdue it. It sounded good in theory.

In what seemed like déjà vu, they crouched in the hallway waiting for the lights that indicated the alien’s arrival. Max wanted desperately to prove his worth to Alex in the field. For once, he was determined to stick exactly to the plan.

Alex was calm. She was prepared this time, ready with a small idea of what they were facing and a plan. There would be no running away tonight.

‘This is it,’ she whispered when the lights began to glow softly from behind the library door. She faced her companions, gave each of them a serious nod and surged forward into action.

Max dashed silently to the other end of the library whilst Kara followed Alex into the nearest aisle. Sure enough, a hulking shadow loomed in front of them in the same area as last night. _Not a very smart alien then,_ Alex thought absently.

The two sisters waited anxiously for Max to get in position and start luring it away from the alcove. Kara could distinctly hear Alex’s heartbeat next to her and was comforted that it wasn’t going any faster than usual. Alex was the master at keeping cool in a situation such as this which, Kara supposed, was why she was Hank’s best agent.

A piercing white light breached the shadowy darkness of the library, flashing like a strobe light. There was a roar from the alien as the bright flashes reached its eyes and a great thumping noise as it turned to chase after Max. His torch jerked wildly as he ran backwards, making the alien chase him but keeping it in his sights at the same time.

‘Go,’ Alex prompted Kara with a small push.

Kara darted forward and hid herself in the vacated alcove.

‘I’m in!’ she called ever so softly.

Alex turned on her torch, on, off, on, off. Max, seeing the signal, extinguished his and ran out of the aisle away from danger. Alex walked forward slowly, flicking the light and trying to get the target’s attention. For a moment she was worried that it was just going to keep chasing Max, but then it turned and saw her. Another shriek rent the air and it came charging towards her. Alex measured the distance in her head.

‘Nearly there…’ she whispered to herself, ‘nearly…NOW!’

Her shout was followed by a new light from the alcove where Kara was hidden. This third distraction was the last straw for the alien. It had been teased and frustrated enough. With a hideous scream, it threw itself violently at Kara and she met it with equal force. They tangled, arms, legs and tail flying awkwardly as they grappled.

From the noise, Alex could tell the alcove was being destroyed. So much for keeping this a quiet operation. There were thuds as the two aliens hit the walls, cracks as the self-loan system fell to the floor and broke, and scrapes as its tail gouged the wall. Those marks that Max had found in their initial inspection made sense now.

‘Kara!’ Alex cried as she heard her sister grunt in pain. A hand on her shoulder made her aware of Max’s return.

‘We…don’t…want…to hurt you!’ Kara huffed in between punches.

‘Your actions are quite to the contrary!’

Alex froze, wondering where the high-pitched voice had come from. Judging from the sudden silence, she guessed that Kara had stopped mid-fight as well.

‘I-I’m sorry?’ Kara asked in surprise.

‘Let go of me or I’ll eat you!’ the voice cried again.

Max stepped past Alex and sidled around the corner, running his hands along the wall. He allowed himself a small smile when he found the light switch and flipped it. It was only the small yellowish light in the alcove that turned on, leaving the rest of the library in darkness, but it was enough to illuminate the scene.

A monstrous figure taller than Kara and rippled with muscle filled most of the space. Its thick legs were a mottled grey flecked with green and looked powerful. Its thinner forearms were the same colour and were held out to fend off Kara’s attacks. The rest of its body was a darker black except for its eagle-shaped head which was all white. A forked tail with vicious looking spikes swung slowly behind it.

It let out a squawk. ‘What did you turn that on for?’

For a moment, the three of them were speechless.

‘What…who are you?’ Alex asked, recovering herself, her gun raised.

‘I,’ the alien declared proudly, ‘am one of the great Farfarmniflatch!’

It waited as if expecting a reaction from its dramatic announcement. Eventually it was Max who broke the stunned silence.

‘Bless you,’ he muttered.

Alex had to stop herself from laughing and hitting him at the same time.

‘Oh, no way,’ Kara breathed.

‘Yes way!’ The alien took a step back from Kara, drawing itself to its full height. ‘And if you don’t leave immediately and swear to tell no one of what you saw here tonight, I will eat you without a second thought! It won’t be pleasant!’

Kara exploded with laughter. ‘You don’t eat humans!’ She cried in between fits of giggles.

Alex and Max didn’t quite understand what was going on and could do nothing but look at each other in confusion as Kara wiped away a tear.

‘How do you know? I eat everything!’ the alien insisted.

‘I know who the Farfarmniflatch are,’ Kara replied, ‘I’m from-,’

‘Kara!’ Alex warned, her common sense telling her that Kara’s Kryptonian knowledge had come to her at an opportune moment.

‘…the city and we have lots of aliens these days,’ Kara finished lamely.

The alien looked from Kara to Max and Alex and back again as if deciding whether to believe her or not.

‘You’re not here to kill me?’ it asked.

‘No,’ she replied honestly. ‘Especially now that I know what you are.’

‘Uh,’ Alex cleared her throat, ‘Kara? Can you please explain?’

‘Oh right, of course! The Farfarmniflatch are from a planet not too far from…that other one.’ Alex rolled her eyes at her sister’s lack of subtlety. ‘They’re shapeshifters. Right?’

‘That’s right,’ the alien agreed. ‘We can shapeshift into most of our native animals as well as a humanoid form much like your own.’

‘Could you shapeshift into one of those please?’ Max asked weakly, stunned by the turn of events.

The Farfarmniflatch gave what could be conceived as a nod and stepped backwards away from Kara. It closed its eyes and a golden light surrounded it, pulsating and shimmering around its changing body. Within seconds, the light faded to reveal an elderly man in a beige cardigan standing before them.

‘You!’ Max cried, pointing at the man. ‘You’re the one who saved that lady! Helen something or other…’

‘Yes,’ the man said thoughtfully. ‘You humans are very slow. She never would’ve gotten out of the way in time. You can call me Ronald in this form by the way, Ronald Thornton.’

‘The librarian? The painting in the office! Of course!’ Kara clicked her fingers sharply as if she’d just solved a great mystery.

‘Oh you saw my painting did you?’ Ronald asked.

‘It’s of Farfarmniflatch isn’t it? The landscape?’

‘Yes,’ he replied sadly. ‘Somewhere I will never see again.’

‘Why?’ Alex asked softly, sensing his sadness.

‘I was exiled from my planet because I am not of the warrior persuasion. Whilst your friend is right in that my people do not eat humans, we are still quite an aggressive race. We pride ourselves on our strength, on our ability in battle, qualities that I have never had. I am, you might say, an oddity among the Farfarmniflatch.’

The old man’s eyes became so downcast that Alex couldn’t help but feel pity for him. His story made her wish that they’d never come after him at all.

‘So you came here?’ she asked.

‘I was sent here as punishment, however I have not found it as much of a punishment as they seem to think it would be.’ His mouth quirked up into something resembling a smile. ‘I am happy as I can be on a planet that is not my home. I tend to the books in this establishment. I live peacefully. Every night I come here to return to my natural form as is necessary for my survival. We can’t go too long without reverting, you see.’

Max hadn’t said a word for some time as he’d been completely thrown by the revelation that the terrifying alien who had chased him was nothing more than a harmless librarian with a name that he couldn’t pronounce. Now though, he felt sorry for the man.

‘We’re sorry we attacked you,’ Kara apologised sincerely. ‘We had to investigate the possibility that you might be dangerous.’

‘Of course, of course.’ Ronald flapped his hands. ‘I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t mention me to anyone however. It would make things very difficult.’

‘We won’t say a word,’ Alex promised.

There wasn’t much to say after that. Ronald assured them that he would be more careful to hide his transformations from snooping students and that he would clean up the mess from the earlier fight. Alex nodded to him, hoping she could convey her apology in her eyes. Kara patted him genially on the shoulder. Max didn’t really know what to do so he just gave him a sort of comforting smile and then followed the others out of the library and out of the school altogether.

It was still dark when they returned to the car. The slam of the doors closing was loud in the cool morning air, but silence quickly followed as the three of them sat in their seats. Alex’s hands rested on the steering wheel, but she didn’t move to turn the key in the ignition. Max stared out of the windscreen, his brow furrowed. Kara tapped her fingers on her knee, her heart feeling heavy.

The gravity of the situation hung over them like a cloud as they replayed the night’s events in their heads. Alex saw again the great figure of the Farfarmniflatch in its true form, rising up and declaring itself to them.

And then her lips twitched, first into an amused smile and then into a grin. A giggle escaped her prompting Max and Kara to glance over. She giggled again and then met Max’s eyes.

 _‘Bless you,’_ she whispered and burst into laughter.

Max realised what she was talking about and a grin plastered itself across his face. Instantly, he was laughing too. Kara joined in and they laughed and laughed, none more so than Alex who had tears streaming down her face. Max clutched at his sides and Kara, despite her underlying sadness, couldn’t stop because Alex laughing was making her laugh even harder.

They laughed for almost five minutes before they managed to get the last few stray giggles under control. Alex wiped her face with the backs of her hands and Max sagged back into his seat. Kara smiled to herself. Everything had turned out ok in the end.

* * * *

They decided to spend another day in Midtown to catch up on some much needed sleep. Alex had called Hank and debriefed him on everything that had happened, leaving out some of the more ridiculous bits, but assuring him that the target was not a threat and her recommendation was that it should be left alone. Hank wasn’t overly happy with the recommendation, but he trusted Alex enough to go with her judgement.

The three of them had had dinner together again in the motel room. Alex noticed that Kara wasn’t as hostile towards Max as usual and wondered what had gone on between them when she’d gone out to buy the torches. Max felt like he was being scrutinised by both of them, but all he really wanted was to be with Alex alone so that they could talk. She hadn’t acknowledged what he’d said to her and he didn’t want to let it go. She was…important to him.

Alex knew the text message would come even before her phone buzzed. It was nearly eleven o’clock and she’d just finished packing her bag. Kara had shut her bedroom door about an hour ago so Alex assumed that she was asleep. The message was, of course, from Max.

_Can we talk?_

She didn’t even bother replying. A minute later she was knocking on his door and he was ushering her inside. He gestured to the couch and they sat down. Max took a deep breath.

‘Some mission huh?’ he said even though it wasn’t what he wanted to say.

‘You can say that again,’ Alex replied. Her eyes were soft and serious and she watched his face as he decided on what to say to her. Eventually she made the decision for him. ‘Max, you know that you can’t just join the DEO right?’

‘Yeah,’ he sighed.

‘Hank won’t sanction your involvement in anything we do unless he honestly thinks we need your help and even then he’ll be reluctant.’

‘What about you?’

‘I…I think that if you used that brain of yours for good, you might be handy to have around. Sometimes,’ she hastened to add with a small smile.

‘We could be a great team, you know.’ Max smiled and raised his hands as if framing his next words. ‘Danvers and Lord, geniuses at work.’

Alex laughed softly. ‘You’re going to have to work on obeying field procedures.’

‘I’ve never been very good at following orders,’ he murmured.

They had slowly but surely leaned towards each other as they spoke and now they were close enough that Max’s eyes filled Alex’s vision. They were searching hers, warm and inviting, and she couldn’t help but be captivated by them. To her amazement, she suddenly saw how deeply Max needed her and, to her even deeper shock, realised how much she’d grown accustomed to having him around.

His closeness was no longer something to be flinched away from. In fact, she’d technically had no obligation to come over to his rooms the last two nights and yet here she found herself anyway.

She closed her eyes, reached for his hand and kissed him gently. Max returned the kiss with a soft pressure of his own, a relieved sigh unfolding inside his chest. His fingers intertwined themselves with hers and his other hand went to her face, moving a strand of her hair out of her eyes. She placed her other hand on his chest, her fingertips sliding around until she found the spot where his heart fluttered faintly beneath his skin.

They parted for breath, but only for a moment. Max was afraid that she would pull away, but Alex came back to him with a kiss slightly more vigorous than the last. He leaned into her and she gave way, laying smoothly backwards so that her head rested on the cushion in the corner of the couch, Max’s body on top of her. He propped himself up on an elbow, his hand along her side.

Their breathing was deep and warm and Alex’s chest felt tight. Max loved her, she could feel it in his kiss, and it scared her a little bit. It also made her feel happy in a way that she hadn’t felt for years. Her hands took on a life of their own and ventured slowly all over his torso and up to his head where she slid her fingers through his hair.

Max felt his heart quicken and deepened his kiss. He wanted nothing more than to touch her, to feel her hands on his body, but he didn’t push. Just having her here, like this, was more than he could have hoped for.

They kissed for a long time, enjoying the warmth that surrounded them like a cocoon. Eventually they parted, Alex shuffling in close to the back of the couch so that Max could roll onto his side next to her. He draped an arm over her and she rested a hand on his chest.

‘I won’t throw you away, Max,’ she whispered.

‘Thank you,’ he whispered back. ‘I need you, Alex.’

She reached up and kissed him one last time before settling herself into him and closing her eyes. Taking the hint, Max snuggled closer and closed his eyes too. Her body rose and fell under his arm as her breathing slowed and he let the sound of it carry him away to sleep.


	7. Epilogue

Three days after their return to National City, the Danvers sisters sat together on the couch in Kara’s apartment. The rain hadn’t disappeared in their absence and the skies were grey. Hank had spent two hours with them during the official debrief where Kara had had to outline her entire knowledge of the Farfarmniflatch race for the DEO database. Hank had suggested keeping a tracker on the alien in Midtown, but Kara had fought against that idea vehemently.

‘He’s harmless,’ she’d insisted. ‘He’s alone and just wants to be left in peace.’

It appeared to be a particularly sore point for her and Alex could kind of understand why. In some ways, it could be construed that Kara had been exiled to Earth as well. Of course that wasn’t the real truth of the matter, her story was far more complicated than that, but it amounted to the same thing – other than Clark, she was the only one of her kind here on Earth. That was a loneliness that not even family could heal.

Hank had not been pleased at the fact that Alex had allowed Maxwell Lord to join in on the investigation. She played it down as much as she could, assuring Hank that there was nothing sinister in it and that he’d actually been very helpful. He dismissed her with something very close to anger in his eyes which made Alex nervous given how new and strange her feelings were.

Alex had been wrestling with how to tell her sister about her relationship with Max. She wasn’t exactly sure how to describe it, but knew that she couldn’t keep it a secret. Not when she’d allowed herself to open her heart to a man that she’d once imprisoned.

 _How times change,_ she thought to herself with amusement.

Eventually she worked up the courage to broach the subject.

‘Kara?’

‘Mmm?’

‘How do you feel about Max? I mean, after having him around for that last mission?’

Kara pondered her question for a moment before replying.

‘He did his job, I suppose. He helped us with no strings attached. You know, it’s funny you mention it actually because when you went out to get the torches I grilled him about it and he said he admired us.’

‘He did?’ Alex knew it to be the truth, but she was surprised that Max had admitted it so openly to Kara of all people.

‘Yeah. He said he admired us because we had the guts to stand up and fight for what’s right, to protect the city. He was probably just smooth talking, but…’ She shrugged.

‘He wasn’t smooth talking,’ Alex replied with a small smile. ‘He meant it.’

‘How do you know?’

‘Kara, I…there’s something I have to tell you.’

Alex took a deep breath as Kara shifted on the couch so that she was facing her sister, legs crossed underneath her and a slightly concerned expression on her face.

‘Max and I, we have…something. I don’t know what to call it, but it’s there and I can’t ignore it.’

‘Wait,’ Kara interrupted, holding up a hand. ‘Are you saying you like him? As in… _like_ him?’

‘I’m pretty sure he loves me, Kara.’

Alex’s face lit up when she said it and Kara almost let her mouth drop open. She’d never seen Alex talk about a man like that before, never seen her physically react to the thought of someone. It was surprising, but it kind of made Kara feel warm inside despite who Alex was talking about.

‘You’re serious, aren’t you?’ Kara said quietly. Alex nodded. ‘And what about you?’

‘I got used to having him around I guess. He said to me that he would keep trying to prove that he wasn’t the bad guy and well, maybe he’s gotten to that point.’

‘Alex…’

‘I know, I know. It doesn’t change what he did in the past, but Kara honestly? I’m no angel either.’

Kara forced herself not to let the hurt show on her face. She’d forgiven her sister for killing Astra, but the fact that it had happened the way it did wouldn’t change.

‘I thought he annoyed you?’

‘He…challenges me,’ she replied with a laugh.

‘Is that where you were the night before we left Midtown?’ Kara asked suspiciously. ‘With Max? I heard you come in early in the morning, but I just assumed you’d gone for a walk.’

‘I was with Max,’ Alex admitted with an uncharacteristic blush.

Kara nodded and dropped into contemplative silence. She wasn’t entirely sure what she thought of this whole thing. Alex’s worried face kept her from feeling any anger or betrayal, but she still felt slightly uneasy.

‘Please say something,’ Alex huffed eventually.

‘Do you really like him Alex?’

‘Kara, I haven’t felt the way I did with Max that night in Midtown since…well, ever really. Especially since I’ve been with the DEO.’

‘Alex,’ Kara murmured softly, suddenly realising the importance of this conversation. She pulled her sister into a hug. ‘I just want you to be happy.’

‘I know,’ Alex replied with a relieved sigh. ‘I love you.’

‘I love you too.’

* * * *

The difficult part out of the way, Alex began to open up a bit more about her feelings for Max. Now that she had Kara to talk to about it, it was easier to make sense of it all. Kara had wheedled details out of her sister and had been thrown by Max’s softer side. After a day or two, she was firmly into the teasing stage.

Max and Alex had tiptoed around each other, fully aware of the precarious relationship they’d shared over the past year. It was a dynamic that wasn’t familiar to either of them, but more so for Max. He’d dropped his walls for Alex and, if he was honest with himself, he was terrified. In a lot of ways, their relationship hadn’t changed. They still bantered and teased each other. A lot of their conversation was about science and aliens and the like, but they found they didn’t actually have to say that much to each other for it to be comfortable. Things just sort of moved along.

After two weeks of dancing around, stealing kisses and holding each other in a way that felt secretive, Alex decided that she wanted more. It wasn’t in her nature to hold back and play possum, but their relationship wasn’t exactly something that could be rushed into with all guns blazing. She felt that it was time to dive into the deep end, headlong into danger, as was her wont.

First she told Hank. He just about hit the roof, but Alex was so stern and assured that there was nothing to be said that would have dented her resolve. There was absolutely no way that Hank would consider letting Max in on any DEO business now and Alex told him as much, but that was ok. It was Alex that Max needed in his life, not the DEO.

Her mother was similarly concerned, but had learned enough about her daughter in the recent months to know that Alex was more than capable of making her own decisions and dealing with any consequences herself. There was also no doubt that she was perfectly able to overpower some handsome gentleman with a big wallet if she needed to.

Finally, she and Max went out for dinner together. He wore the smartest suit she’d ever seen. It was charcoal grey with a simple dark blue tie that made the colour of his eyes seem brighter in contrast. The cut of it fit him exceptionally well and Alex couldn’t help noticing the other women in the restaurant appraise him as he walked by their tables.

She was wearing a deep, midnight blue dress that was tight in all the right places and fluttered elegantly around her ankles. Her hair hung in wavy strands and her eyes seemed to sparkle excitedly. Max had almost forgotten how to breathe when he’d picked her up and Kara had laughed heartily at the look on his face. Between the two of them, most of the patronage at the restaurant had forgone interest in their dinners to stare at these two particularly stunning entrants.

The food was wonderful. The wine was better. The conversation flowed easily and there were stretches of comfortable silence where whole paragraphs of conversation were exchanged between them in looks and subtle movements; the twitch of her lips into the hint of a smile, the gleam in his eye as he looked at her over the rim of his glass. 

The atmosphere may as well have been non-existent for Max in that there was nothing else in the room that warranted attention except for the woman in front of him. Alex was more highly attuned to the staring partially because of her nature as a DEO agent, but also because she certainly wasn’t used to being stared at like this. Max wondered if she realised just how beautiful she was.

Before too long, they left the restaurant satiated and content, completely ignoring the eyes that followed them all the way to the door. Max drove, stealing glances at Alex out of the corner of his eye as she gazed out the window at the city lights. The rain had cleared up and it had become one of those beautiful spring evenings that have a hint of summer singing on the soft, warm breeze. It was one of those evenings where everything just felt alive.

They arrived at Max’s penthouse and Alex followed him through the front door into his glamourous living room. There was no denying that Max had excellent taste when it came to making everything he owned, including himself, look good. In fact, ‘good’ was too much of an understatement.

He slid off his jacket and draped it over the back of a chair before beginning to make his way over to the couch, evidently hoping Alex would follow him and make herself comfortable, but Alex had other ideas. She reached out for his hand and pulled him back to her, stepping close. The action had surprised Max, but he placed a hand on her hip and gazed fiercely back at her, their other hands still clasped together as if they were about to dance. There was a fire in Alex’s eyes that excited him and he felt his heart begin to jump in his chest. He knew without doubt that she was in charge tonight.

Her kiss seemed to come slowly and all at once. It was deep and warm, skipping the preamble of the soft, gentle kisses that they’d engaged in so much of over the last week and a half. Max didn’t have to ask what that meant. A knot formed in his stomach as she traced his bottom lip with her tongue.

He slid his hand around to rest on her lower back and pulled her even tighter against him. His mouth left hers, searching instead along her jaw and down her neck. Her fingers slid into his hair and held him there and she guided his other hand to the side of her thigh. She undid the knot of his tie expertly with one hand and let it fall to the ground. That was enough for Max.

He stepped forwards, unbalancing Alex, and swooped to catch her before she fell. With one arm around her shoulders and one under her knees, he carried her swiftly into his bedroom. Alex almost laughed at his confidence, but her humour left her when he hovered over her body on the bed, his eyes suddenly very dark.

Alex didn’t even remember undoing the buttons, but it was her hands that pushed the shirt away from Max’s chest and it was her hands that removed his belt. Somewhere along the line they’d kicked off their shoes and Max was in the process of getting Alex out of her dress. Very soon that lay discarded on the floor as well. She took great pleasure in removing his trousers and boxer shorts painfully slowly.

In no time at all, all that was left was rapidly warming skin. Max plastered her body with methodical kisses, his fingers touching and wandering. She let her hands explore his body just as freely, winning a small moan that came from deep inside his chest when her fingers slid below his waist.

Alex had originally wanted to move quickly, her gut urging her to have more of him, but she didn’t. Instead they spent a long time just touching each other, running their hands over every inch of skin, letting the other explore places that no one else could. When Alex thought that there was no part of Max that she hadn’t felt yet, only then did she make her move.

Max’s eyes blazed as they came together. They moved in time with each other, a perfect constellation frozen in the sky whilst the rest of the universe got on with life. His chest was fit to burst as she arched her body underneath him and dug her fingers into his back and shoulder blades. She gasped for breath in between kisses, dimly wondering whether taking a breath was worth being apart from him for even a second.

They shook as their bodies reached the highest point of their harmony, sweetness spreading through their blood from their waists. Alex missed him sorely when he was gone from her body but contented herself with his weight above her and the pressure of his lips.

He stopped kissing her, suddenly desperate for breath.

‘You liked dinner then,’ he chuckled hoarsely.

‘Dessert was better,’ she replied with a sly grin.

The night had barely begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for following along everyone, hope you enjoyed it!


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